almost 35 weeks pregnant "measuring big"??

Jennifer - posted on 07/15/2009
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So my last few dr. appointments my midwife has been saying I am "measuring big"- like one to two weeks ahead of where I should- and that I will more than likely have another ultrasound at around 36 weeks. This is my second baby (back to back pregnancies, my daughter is only 10 months old) and first was a perfectly normal (to me even small) size of 6 lb 13 oz and came out right on her due date. I am worried I'm going to get a 10 + lb baby and either have a really difficult delivery or have to get a c section, neither of which sounds like much fun. I know how Dr's estimates of size are notoriously wrong, but still. I asked the midwife what it would mean if they do the ultrasound and do discover he's big and all she really said was for me to watch what I'm eating...but no mention has been made of ME gaining too much weight, just the baby so now I'm totally confused. Anyone else have anything similar happen?

I personally have no faith in ultrasounds and the measurements they give. When I was pregnant with my daughter, I had so many ultrasounds because they were worried she was too small, and then thought maybe the dates were wrong (they weren't). By the time I was 7 1/2 months, they told me she was about 5lb, so it was all good, she'd be a normal 71/2lb baby! She ended up born at full-term weight of 5lb 2oz. I looked back at all of my ultrasound info and every single one gave a different 'guesstimate' of her birth weight.

My son was just born on July 2nd. I measured right on track throughout my pregnancy, and they never thought he was going to be big. My midwife told me he felt like he was good size, but not huge. To everyone's suprise, he was 10lbs 1oz at birth. I only pushed for an hour and a half, and delivered him vaginally no problem. It's only been a little over 3 weeks, and I feel great! So, even if the baby is big you can deliver vaginally, and the doctors are not always right about size.

I measured "big" with my second son and even let them induce me because he was sooo big. He ended up only weighing 6 lbs 2 oz and delivered with no pushes. So I wouldn't worry too much. Even the ultrasound can be off a pound either direction. Baby #3 is "big" too. I have an ultrasound scheduled for 36 wks to get an estimate, but I'm not too concerned.

Jennifer i would go and keep asking you drs and midwife for a scan or to keep check the size of your baby because when i had my youngest daugher (she 6 months old now) i ask and ask about the size she would be but there wouldnt tell us and i end up having a 10lb 11oz baby lucky i went in to have plan c section which help me.

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Ez - posted on 07/25/2009

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Oh I'd just like to add that even with the EFW of 10-11lbs I still had a natural birth. Everyone was aware of the likelihood of a big baby, and I had been warned that a c-section was possible, but I was intent on avoiding it if at all possible. I ended up having a forceps delivery :)Doctors telling you that you MIGHT have a 'big' baby is not reason in and of itself to schedule a c-section. I was lucky in that my doctors were happy to let me try natural, with a c-section as a back-up plan (which IMO is what they were intended for in the first place). If I'd been forced or pressured into a c-section, only to have my daughter be 9lb 6oz and not macrosomic after all, I would have been mightily annoyed.

Despite how easy it would be for the doctors, all babies are NOT the same and all mother's do NOT measure the same. Big does not mandate a c-section. I would have the ultrasound to ease your mind. This could all be for nothing :) I will hope that is the case.

I measured HUGE all through my pregnancy. So much so that I was monitored closely with several growth scans and 2 GTTs. I always measured at least 4 weeks ahead, at 28wks I measured 35, and at full-term my fundal height was 49cm. Ridiculously outrageously monstrous...

All the scans gave an EFW of 10-11lbs. A scan I had 6 days before I delivered said the baby was 10lb 7oz. But she was actually only 9lb 6oz (still plenty big enough I might add). The further you are into your pregnancy, the less accurate an ultrasound will be.

So try not to worry. Just because you're big and may or may not be having a big baby doesn't mean you'll go early. I went 11 days past my due date.

No concern, you may have a larger child or you may have a tad bit more amniotic fluid like I did. Just cause you have more amniotic fluid may mean you have a child that likes to pee and drink more then another child. I wouldn't worry too much, I was measuring a full month ahead of my due date.

Hi. I measured big from week 28. The Drs ruled out slapped cheek, pregnancy diabetes, etc.Like Valerie, I did have a lot of fluid but I also had a very healthy baby boy born weighing 9lbs 1oz. I went into labour spontaneously at 40 weeks + 4 days. I just had weekly scans from week 29. They put my mind at rest.

I measured about 2weeks slower than I should have been and the midwifes were worried. I ended up with pre-eclampsia and HELLP (liver disorder during pregnancy) and ended up having my daughter 5 weeks early and she weighed double what she should have done lol so it's goes to show how wrong the medical profession can be.

they told me at 31 weeks i was measuring 34weeks so they got me a appointment for a scan to check how big the baby was going to be and they did the scan then told me i was going to have a baby 7lb and it turned out when he was born he was 9, 12!! so i dont believe what they say anymore , my birth was with forceps.

I measured 2-3 weeks ahead almost my entire pregnancy. My midwife said that measuring the belly is like the 1800s method for telling how far along you are. It is not accurate at all really. Like other posters said just enjoy your last few weeks of pregnancy!

Both my pregnancies I consistently measured a month bigger than I was. I had many ultrasounds and they kept prepping me for 10+ lbs. and the C-Sections. I put on less than 40lbs with each pregnancy. So it was not my over eating. My last ultra sound put the baby 7lb 9 oz. 4 days before I gave birth Now remember they have a +/- of a 1 1/2 lbs. So I was looking at the possibility of a 5 pounder to a 10 pounder. Here was the reality Deborah was born with no problems at an even 7 pounds.

They really don't know. don't let this detail get you stressed out. They have statistics & averages but you are not a statistic.

I was having the same thing going on in my second pregnancy. They could not figure it out the entire pregnancy. Said the fluid levels looked normal and all that. When I delivered the doc almost fell off his chair backwards with all the fluid that gushed out after the baby. Good thing he didn't with my little one in his hands. The mystery was solved... there was fluid behind the baby that they could not see for whatever reason... she was perfectly normal... I also heard many people get much bigger with their second child. It's not uncommon. Just get all the tests they want you to get but if the dates are wrong and your little one comes early... you'll be glad! LOL

Don't worry about it. My first was 8 lbs 10 oz. at 41 weeks, the second was 8 lbs 14 oz at 39 weeks (the doctor broke my water as the ultrasound said she was to be 9 lbs 12 oz the day before), the third was 9 lbs 14 oz. at 41 weeks (the ultrasound there said 10 lbs 15 oz). Anyways, I measured big with all of them (usually two ahead). It all depends on how your body carries. Like the other mom said about the fluid. All the ultrasound is good for is to check that your fluid levels are good and they are not breech. All my babies very vaginal. It all depends on your pelvis...10 lbs is possible vaginal. IT's all about the head size not the weight.

I am 35 weeks with a due date of Aug 25th. I have been measuring 2-3 weeks bigger since they started measuring me. I had a u/s on July 9th at 33wks 2 days and baby was measuring 5lbs 10oz and a due date of aug 9th but dr will not change my due date. this is my 4th pregnancy, Ive measured small with the others, babys were 6lbs 9oz, 6lbs 14 oz , 7lbs even. Dr is just going to watch babys size cause this one could be over 10lbs by my due date. I'm alittle scared but should know more at July 29th 36wk appt

maybe you are further along that what they think. that what happend to me. Because of complication (not related to big baby) I had a c-section, was very scared and they had to give me something for shock right after they told me thay giving me a c-section, but it didn't turn out to bad and I'm even considering a c-section for my second.my bub was born at 36 weeks and had no problems.

second babies are a bit bigger then your first.

I have found that the docters/midwifes always play on the worst case cenario. dont worry and just enjoy the last few weeks. if your baby is getting to big for your body you will deliver earlier nature is a wonderful thing, you will be fine.

Ehh, I wouldn't worry too much. Size is very difficult to determine, heck my doc told me the day I delivered that my son was only going to be 7lbs...he was over 9! That punk still owes me $10 (we made a bet)...lol. but back on subject, even if you do have a larger baby, your body will probably do just fine with labor and delivery. It's what women are built for. If you are scared of a possible c-section, you can probably find many women on here who have had one done, and could probably offer some really great advice to help alleviate your fears.

don't put too much stock in what they say the baby might weigh. because of my weight, i had an ultrasound every month for measurement. the whole time they said he was big. the day before i was induced they measured and said he was going to be 9.5 lbs. he came out at only 7 lbs 10 oz. they were WAY off. he was measuring so big that they made me do the glucose test twice. when i passed the second time (with flying colors) they decided something must be wrong and made me do the 3 hour test anyway! guess what...still passed! i had to do 3 24 hour urine collections to test for pre-eclampsia (because my BP was high which made them freak out because that should cause smaller babies, and he was measuring huge). it was ridiculous! when they told me the day before how big he was, i wanted to schedule the c-section right then and there! i'm glad i didn't though. turns out my kid has a big head, and that's what they use to determine weight...not sure how that correlates, but it is what it is!

I wouldn't worry about it too much. Remember the due date is just an estimate of when the baby will be born and could vary 1-2 weeks. They were a little worried about my daughter measuring big right at about 34 weeks and she was 7lbs, 1oz and came 1 week early. All along I had a feeling she was 1 week ahead and she was! If your first baby was perfectly normal size it's pretty predictable that your next one will be close in weight. The baby is most likely measuring slightly bigger because maybe the baby is further along than the original guess. Good luck! I admire anyone that could be pregnant back to back...that's like almost 2 straight years of being pregnant! Take care!

I measured about a week ahead for a while and then it leveled off. But my son was a week late and I had to be induced and ended up with a C-section because he was 9lbs 14oz. I would've had to have a C-section even if he had been average, my pelvis isn't wide enough to deliver vaginally (thanks Mom!). A friend of mine also measured really big for her second pregnancy, they thought she was gonna have a 10 pounder from the ultrasound (her first was 9lbs 1oz) and were considering inducing her early, but she went into labor on her own and delivered vaginally and the baby was only 8 something.

the ultrasound will help alot. i was measuring small so they told me my baby was going to be less then 6 pounds and they wanted to do the ultrasound just make sure everything was ok and the ultrasound showed her at 8 pounds 7 ounces! so i really wouldnt get worried until after they do the ultrasound

In my opinion, since you are pregnate back to back that has a lot to do with it. Maybe you didn't get a chance to lose all of the baby weight and that is adding in to the measuring. I would have the ultrasound just to put your mind at ease. The same thing happened to me in my second pregnancy too. then just as they said that I was measuring to big about two weeks later I was measuring normal again. Sarah was born 8 lbs and 10 and a half oz. and perfectly healthy!

I measured huge all 4 pregnancies. Every time they said my sugar must be high so they tested me. It never was. Every time they were wringing their hands and fretting that I was going to have a huge baby. The biggest one I had was 8 lb 11 oz and that was my third one. Even after doing an ultrasound they still thought the baby was going to be 9 lbs plus. They never were. The doctors just don't know. I wouldn't panic. Worst case scenario, you have to have a c-section. I've had one and it's not the end of the world. If you are getting good prenatal care (which you obviously are) I doubt very seriously that there is anything to worry about.

I think an ultrasound will put your mind at ease. But if you're measuring big that just might mean you'll deliver before your due date. If you're 35 weeks now I'd get ready to have this baby like it could happen at any time!!

Jennifer, I measured BIG when I had my daughter! As it turned out, I had polyhydramnios -is a medical condition describing an excess of amniotic fluid in the amniotic sac. It is seen in 0.5 to 2% of pregnancies.[citation needed] It is typically diagnosed when the amniotic fluid exceeds 2000 mL.[citation needed] -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyhydramn... I was measuring into TWIN sizes. As it turned out, my daughter was SO happy in her own "hottub" she was late (tried inducing twice!) and 9.1 lbs and 21.5 inches long. I gave birth to her vaginally, but she really should have been a c section. Due to the amount of amniotic fluid she could "swim" around quite well and was constantly changing positions and was breach when delivered. My condition appears to be quite rare, and I do not intend to scare you. My daughter was extremely healthy when born and practically slept through the night right out of the womb. I just wanted to let you know, there could be another reason other than you are just having a big baby. I ended up having several ultrasounds in my last weeks so they were able to tell that there was excess fluid in there. I'm sure your doctors will keep an eye out on the size and what may be going on inside. And don't be too afraid of having a big baby - they are typically SO much easier to handle (sleeping, feeding, temperament, etc) after birth! Good luck!